


I Have Loved You Since I Was Eighteen

by Katybug1992



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: M/M, short and fluffy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:08:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26701936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katybug1992/pseuds/Katybug1992
Summary: They were complete opposites. Yet Matthew’s first thought after meeting Robby was “I want that one!”
Relationships: Robert Thomas/Matthew Tkachuk
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	I Have Loved You Since I Was Eighteen

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by "Eighteen" by One Direction

Matthew burned bright and hot. He was force and speed. He was impatient and he had a temper. He ran his mouth and would drop the gloves with anyone who wanted to. He didn't give a shit what people thought about him and he didn’t give a shit who anyone thought he should respect.

Robert was calm and light. He was skill, with the speed and vision to go with it. He was patient and calm under pressure. He avoided conflict, letting others step in when it was needed. He made sure to be polite and respectful to everyone, apologizing for an unintentional action after the game ended - and sometimes in the immediate aftermath.

They were complete opposites. Yet Matthew’s first thought after meeting Robby was “I want that one!”

Matthew knew from that first moment that Robby was it for him, even if Robby thought that he was just a passing fancy for Matthew. That eventually Matthew would move on from him.

But Matthew loved Robby. He knew that. He knew that probably sooner than he should have. But his parents weren’t concerned about it. His mom said that Matthew had always been at the extremes - he either loved something or hated something, never anywhere in between. And Robby wasn’t about to be the first exception to that.

Matthew loved deeply. He was open with his emotions. He told Robby he loved him within weeks of them getting together.

Robby was more reserved, too self-conscious to just blurt out his emotions. He had blushed darkly when Matthew told him he loved him, with no expectation that Robby say it back. 

But Robby did. It took a couple months, about halfway through their season. He and Matthew had been in the older boy’s room after playing Erie - Mitch was out with Strome so Matthew had the room to himself. Matthew had Animal Planet on but his attention was focused entirely on Robby.

“I love you, you know that, right?” Robby asked, biting his lip nervously.

And Matthew lit up hearing those words for the first time. Because, yes, he had known. Robby never had to say a word for it to be clear how he felt about something. But hearing those words was better than Matthew ever thought they would be.

And then Robby had leaned down and kissed him and Matthew didn’t think the night could get better.

Fifteen minutes later, it was prevented from getting better when Mitch got back and Robby realized he only had a minute to get back to his own room before room checks.

Matthew had chucked a pillow at Mitch for laughing at his pout.

+

Taking a chance on Robby was still the best decision Matthew had ever made. The stayed together through drafts, through distance, through fights, through bitterness and petty jealousies. 

Through Matthew trying to surprise Robby by making dinner on Robby’s first trip to Calgary with the Blues and Robby having to swoop in to save dinner so Matthew didn’t poison either of them.

But Robby still told him that it was thoughtful and that it was the effort that counted. Still, Matthew promised he would ask his mom to teach him how to cook so that he could return the favor for all the meals that Robby had made for him over the years.

Still, looking at Robby over the candlelight at his dining room table - because he was an adult with a fully furnished apartment - he knew he was getting a glimpse of his future. Because he knew that Robby was his future. And nothing - not even only getting a couple hours of face-to-face in-real-life time every couple of months - would change that.

Because Matthew had loved this boy since he was eighteen. And he would love him until he was one hundred and eighteen. He would love him until his last breath. He would love him as long as Robby would have him.

And he knew that Robby felt the same.

And that was enough to make Matthew insanely happy.


End file.
